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Friday, January 15, 2016

One Year of Whale & Wishbone

First and foremost:Let's Celebrate a Year

I'm honestly so excited to tell you that today marks the one year anniversary of my first ever post on Whale & Wishbone! That's a full year of "style, recipes, adventures and general whimsy." In honor of this milestone, I'm bringing you a confetti loaded celebration themed photo shoot complete with gifs! So get excited.

It's unbelievable to think about how much can change in 12 short months. I'm now a Fordham graduate and billionaire lottery winner*, living and working in New York City -- none of which I could say a year ago!

I think change, although difficult sometimes, is largely a positive thing. And, despite what Annie thinks, you need to change to grow. That's why I want to use this post to introduce you to some exciting changes to the Whale & Wishbone you know and (hopefully) love, which will allow it grow into something even better.

[*Side Note: I wrote this before Wednesday's Powerball drawing. What can I say? I was optimistic.]

So What's New and Exciting??

1. Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself

Seriously. After a year of personal changes, I'm hardly the exact person I was a year ago, which is why I want to introduce you with a completely new and improved About Me page! Please feel free to peruse at your leisure if you're interested in learning more about this girl. (you can't see me but I have two thumbs up pointing at myself)

Pssst: Don't worry if you loved the old About Me page, I simply archived it here.

My Best Instas of 2015

2. Oh Hey, "whaleandwishbone.COM"

You may or may not have noticed, but a few weeks ago my URL changed from .blogspot.com to just .com. Moving up in the world, right? Essentially, I decided around Thanksgiving that it was time for Whale & Wishbone to transition into the adult world along with me.

I got super lucky that the URL was still available! -- In case it didn't come across, that was complete sarcasm. No one else is weird enough to purchase the url whaleandwishbone.

Side Note: Don't stress if you're still typing .blogspot.com out of habit. You'll just be redirected!

3. "Subscribe By Email" for real!

Snail Mail is chic, but email is faster!

For an incredibly short second a year ago, Whale & Wishbone had a subscribe by email option. I deleted it almost immediately given I had no control over the content or style of the emails that arrived in your inbox. If you were one of the maybe two people who signed up for those original emails and you're wondering why you haven't received one in a while, I apologize.

The good news is, subscribe by email is back for you to sign up (or sign up again for two of you), and I'm working really hard to make sure that what arrives in your inbox are beautiful relevant emails from Whale & Wishbone alerting you to new posts.

Now, this is completely new to me, so I can't promise it will be perfect. What I can promise, though, is that emails from me will fill your inbox with inspiration and joy, and that you'll never miss a post!

So you should probably get to subscribing >>

This is me blowing joy into your inbox via email -- It's a metaphor. Just go with it.

Side Note: This wishbone journal from Goop was a gorgeous graduation gift from my parents, and I've been waiting for the perfect post to feature it.

4. Tiny Changes You Probably Wouldn't Have Noticed

Ranked Posts: Now, on the home page instead of seeing my most popular posts of all time, you'll be seeing the most popular of what's recent. Translation: You'll never miss the latest and greatest!

Page Breaks: Did you notice you had to click-in to see this whole post? Instead of endless scrolling on the home page, you'll now only see partial posts! This will make it easier to read what you want and scroll right on by what doesn't float your boat.

Twitter: Do people still even tweet? Questionable. You'll notice my most recent tweets are from 2014 -- whoops. However, I'm going to make an effort to tweet occasionally in the new year, so you'll finally see that tiny twitter icon if you look under Connect in the sidebar!

Whale Watching: In an ongoing effort to not mislead people, I've decided to add a "whale watching" tag to any post where actual Whales are mentioned. You're welcome, if you're only here for the Whales. -- Warning: there's a total of 2 posts right now under this tag.

"I can't handle all this change":

^^^If that's you, please take a deep breath. The core of Whale & Wishbone will remain what it has always been and more! The baking endeavors, city adventures, brunching and style posts aren't going anywhere, but I also never want to bore you. So, get ready for some new kinds of posts too! I have tons of ideas (and always welcome more). As my 6th grade teacher used to say, "variety is the spice of life."

This is me showering you in comfortable familiarity with a dash of small surprises.

-- metaphors are fun.

Cheesing hard with my first ever post.

Last, but not Least:Thank You

I try very hard to keep Whale & Wishbone from turning into an online journal. It is always my intention to create content that is inspirational and valuable to my readers -- something beyond the "Natalie show." So, please bear with me on this one, because this one year mark seems like an appropriate time to share something a little more personal.

Long before I hit the publish button on Diving In, I wanted to start a blog. Back then, I saw a lot of obstacles in my way, the biggest of which was always self doubt. I doubted whether it would be good, or if people would read it or even be interested. I worried that if I did, by some miracle, start, that it would turn into something I didn't like, or wasn't proud of, or worst of all, something I abandoned.

Now, here we are one year later, and I'm proud to say I've written 65 posts to date with no sign of slowing down. I enjoy every part of blogging, and despite all the work, it has never felt like a job.

So here is where the big thank you comes in:

To all of you reading, I want you to know that you're the reason I work so hard to create something great, and for that, I can't thank you enough. Whale & Wishbone is for me, but it's also for you. Thank you sticking with me through everything and continuing to come back.

To my family and friends reading, please know, it was your encouragement that gave me the confidence to begin. When, in my living room over a Christmas Break, my sister and her friends told me I "had to start a blog" -- When, my friend laughed in his Fordham kitchen at the name Whale & Wishbone, but told me I'd be good at blogging --When, my friend told me she would help me take pictures for my first ever posts -- everyone's overwhelming belief and encouragement meant so much.

And even now, my family and friends continue to act as my photographers, idea sounding boards, and biggest supporters. I appreciate it all, down to the excited text after they read something new or the sweet comment on a post I shared.

Thank You doesn't begin to cover it. You're the reason I made it to this milestone.

So here's to a full year of Whale & Wishbone, and many more to come.

I'm still so very glad you're here.

P.S I want to give a special shout out to my Mom, Dad, Alexandra, Aunts, and Queen Betty.